U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has awarded a $16.7 million no-bid contract to purchase 6,000 electric shock gloves for use by its officers. The agency stated the tool will help personnel control resisting detainees and manage disturbances at detention facilities while providing an alternative to lethal force.
The device, known as the G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), functions as a standard patrol glove until an officer activates its electrical mode. According to procurement documents, the device must make direct contact with a person's skin to deliver a shock intended to force compliance from individuals who are actively or passively resisting.
Federal records show ICE signed the contract Wednesday with Compliant Technologies LLC, a Kentucky-based company, and formally posted the award Thursday. The six-month agreement covers the 6,000 gloves, which cost $2,495 each, along with support equipment and services. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the purchase, stating that any technology ICE utilizes is consistent with law enforcement standards and that personnel are trained in de-escalation.
A group of 16 Democratic senators, led by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), urged ICE to cancel the purchase on Thursday. The lawmakers questioned the safety and oversight of the devices, citing concerns about constitutional rights and the risk of misuse during civil immigration arrests. Civil rights advocates also criticized the plan, suggesting it could allow officers to inflict pain with less public visibility.
The procurement comes amid scrutiny of ICE's use-of-force practices following recent fatal shootings involving agents in Maine and Texas. The agency stated it currently lacks what it describes as an "empty hand use of force device." While Compliant Technologies' manual advises against using the gloves on the elderly, pregnant women, or small children, critics argue that the lack of detailed public safeguards in the ICE contract could lead to misuse.
What happens next depends on how ICE responds to congressional demands for transparency regarding its training and accountability standards. The contract is set for a six-month duration for the delivery of equipment and services. Lawmakers have requested that the agency disclose its authorized use rules and procedures for reviewing deployments.